Electric railway



(No Model.)

T. A. EVANS. ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

No. 425,767. Patented Apr. 15, 1890.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

'rHoMAs AARON EvANs, or SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

ELsoTRlo RAILWAY..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 425,761', dated April 15, 1890.' Application tiled-July 25, 1889. Serial Nol 318,665. (No model.)

T0 all whom it Inlay concern:

Be it known that LTHOMAs AARON EVANS, a citizen of theUnited' States, residing inthe city and county of San Francisco, and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Railways, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electric railways of that kind or construction in which a currentcollector attachedA to the motor-car runs in -clectrical contact with an isolated underground rail or conductor; and the invention embraces a certain improved construction and arrangement of insulated conductor and un-A derground tube, and also auiovel construction of current-collector, all for operation and to secure several advantages, as hereinafter set forth.

.In the following description, explaining the nature of these improvements and the manner of constructing and applying the1n,ref erence is-had by letters to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l represents a transverse section of the track and underground tube of an electric railway constructed according to my invention, and shows also in front view the v truck and lower part of. a motor-car and the current-collector'mounted on it. Fig. 2 is a top view in longitudinal section of a portion lof the insulated conductor and the traveling current-'collector in contact with it. Fig. 3` is a side View, 'en a larger scale, of the foot of the current-collector. Eig-1 is an enlarged sectional View of the traveler or current-collector.

The tube A'has a slot a* along the top for the shank Ior carrying bar "of the currentcollector, and the electrical conductor B is laid along the tube against the top or roof and to one side ofv the tube-slot, being insulated from adjacent parts by the block C. A depending apron or partition D is iixed along the tube between the tube-slot and the conductorto shut off that part of the tube-space for almost the full depth of the tube from the center portion, into which the tube-slot opens.

The current-collector E, traveling O11 and in clcctricalcontact with the conductor 13, is fixed on the end of a carryingbar F, which is mounted on the motorcar,.and the bar is formed withan oiset or bend at the lower end, forming a laterally-extending foot F to pass beneath the bottom ofl theapron D and project into the space inside, where the conductor B is laid.

The current-collector is fixed lto the upwardly-bent end of the foot FA and consists of the grooved or dOuble-iiange wheels Ex,

mounted on axles g g, for which bearings h hr are provided in the end F2 of the shank-'foot The boxes are insulated from the sidepieces F2 and have bindingp-osts t' for conducting wiresx through which the current is carried from the wheels along the shank. to a point/K on the upper part of theshank,where a connection is provided for the wires of the motor. The wires ma, being properly covered,

may be laid in a groove in the face'of .the shank and brought upward to the bindingposts on thev block k. The shank is bolted at 'fsfto a screw-threaded shaft or round bar F4,

that is practically an extension of the Ilat shank, and is used in order to change the form of the bar in cross-section from at to cylindrical for the thread'nzf. This threaded portion takes ahand-nut R, for which a bearing is furnished on the top plate L ofthe 'st-and S. The top plate is circular with an opening in the center for the upper part of the shank to pass loosely through, andA between it and the top Sx'a strong coil-spring T is placed, the top plate beingheld in place by long bolts p p and nuts q q.

The legs of thesupporting stand are secured to theA truck-frame or the body of the motor-car; but thev shank has vertical movement in such support,as well as adjustability, by means of the'threaded portion and its nut.-

In this construction and arrangement it will be seen that the coil-spring bearing constantly upward against the hand'- nut acts to keep the trolley E n-contact wit-h the insulated conductor in the tube under all `changes and conditions in the surface of the IOO Wheels EX, mounted in insulated boxes, and the binding-posts having electrical connection with the wheels, and the conducting-wire extending from said binding-posts to a bindingpost on the shank in the car, as and for thc purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim thel foregoing I lhave hereunto sot my hand and seal.

THOMAS AARON IEVlftlnTS. .[1J7 s.)

Witnesses: I

CHAs.r E. KELLY, J os. E. FORD. 

